ITS Project Portfolio & Change Management’s leader has added two project managers.
Today, Brenda Carpen, Director of Project Portfolio & Change Management, brings on board two new hires. They are Alison Campbell, previously Customer Solutions Lead in ITS’ Customer Experience & Engagement division, and a newcomer to ITS, Bianca Bonds. Bonds comes to the team from Red Orchid Designs, and prior to that, Genpact and Bank of America.
These hires are the culmination of several years of envisioning, planning and building — and some patience. The pandemic and hiring freezes slowed the creation and then the expansion of this group. Carpen has led Project Portfolio & Change Management since February 2021.
Campbell and Bonds will focus on institutionally and divisionally scoped projects. They will also provide more project management support to ITS colleagues as needed.
“Having them on board will allow me to spend more time on portfolio management, processes, and developing our team,” Carpen said.
Campbell and Bonds bring complementary knowledge and shared skills to their roles.
Campbell, who has worked for ITS for a decade, is familiar with UNC-Chapel Hill and ITS. She worked on several large IT campus initiatives. Bonds, a Carolina alumna, brings process design and improvement and Lean Six Sigma knowledge to the team.
“Both are familiar with traditional waterfall project methodologies as well as agile and understand when to apply them,” Carpen said. “The most important skill they share,” she added, “is how easily and confidently they can communicate project management information to diverse stakeholders, non-technical and technical alike.”
Alison Campbell
Why did you want to join this team?
I love helping to establish a new team and have been seeking to expand my project management experience, so this seems like a great fit. I want to manage projects, implement processes, and provide services that impact the broader campus community.
What excites you most about this position?
Being able to contribute positive change for the University through projects. A more narrowed scope for my position so I can grow my project management experience.
What do you bring to the role?
This position needs someone with strong communication and interpersonal skills to facilitate working with a diverse group of campus stakeholders. I have experience managing wide-reaching projects and services, (Office 365 and ServiceNow), across multiple levels of the University community. I am also very effective at balancing competing priorities and adapting to the changing landscape as needed. I’m comfortable in a relatively new/growing team that doesn’t have a lot of defined processes and enjoy helping to establish what the team offers.
What is your professional background?
I’ve been employed with ITS for 10 years, starting at the ITS Service Desk. I moved into the Office 365 Program Manager role and Customer Solutions Lead role after each of the Office 365 and ServiceNow projects were implemented.
What about the personal side?
I live in Chapel Hill with my partner and two cats. My hobbies are reading, cooking, and yoga and walking to de-stress. I’m a linguaphile. I’m learning Swedish currently.
Bianca Bonds
Why did you want to join this team?
I enjoy everything about Carolina. After I had my first interview, I knew this team would be the perfect fit with the alignment of my experience and their excitement for the projects coming up.
What excites you most about this position?
I’m mostly excited about the opportunity to see how this team grows and the positive impact we’ll create. When I spoke with Brenda about her plans and goals for this year, I was even more excited to jump in and see how I contribute to the amazing work coming ahead. I believe there is a culture shift that will naturally occur once more people are aware of how this team can benefit their projects, and I’m excited to see that collaboration across the campus.
What do you bring to the role?
I bring an open mind, an empathetic attitude and a knack for making people feel at ease. For any project manager, it’s a must to know how to navigate the different personalities and experiences of the people with whom we’ll work and gain their trust, and I believe I do that very well. Also, my area of expertise is in process design and improvement, which I think will really benefit our team as we continue to develop.
What is your professional background?
I have project management experience from multiple roles at Fortune 500 companies and niche market companies. Some of my previous areas of work include financial operations auditing, financial risk and business control, financial operations/marketing technology improvement, and more oddly, interior design development. I think I’m the poster child for proving that project management can cross over into any industry.
What about the personal side?
I’m a UNC alumna and I live right outside of Charlotte. I have a husband of more than five years and a 4-year-old daughter who acts more like a 14-year-old. In my spare time (outside of spending time with family), I love bowling, I am a professional organizer and residential interior designer, and I have a newfound love for the gym.